Jacana railway station is a

commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...

way station on the

Craigieburn line The Craigieburn line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's seventh shortest metropolitan railway line at . The line runs from Flinde ...

, part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the northern suburb of Glenroy in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Victoria, Australia. Jacana station is a ground-level unstaffed station, featuring an

island platform An island platform (also center platform (American English) or centre platform (British English)) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway inte ...

. It opened on 15 February 1959. The North East standard gauge line is located to the west of the station, crossing the

broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , more known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union countries ...

suburban lines via a flyover at the Craigieburn ( down) end of the station. The Albion-Jacana freight line joins the main suburban line after the flyover, and the

Western Ring Road The M80 Ring Road (also known simply as the Ring Road or by the names of its constituent parts; the Western Ring Road and the Metropolitan Ring Road) is a partially complete urban freeway ring road around Melbourne, Australia. This article wi ...

passes under the station via a short

tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

History

Jacana station opened on 15 February 1959, a number of years before the Housing Commission started construction of its nearby Jacana estate. The station, like the suburb itself, appears to get its name from a nearby street in neighbouring

Broadmeadows Broadmeadows is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District and the council seat of the City of Hume local government area. Broadmeadows recorded a population of 12,524 at the 2021 census. It i ...

. The railway past the site of Jacana originally opened in 1872, as part of the North East line to School House Lane. In July 1958, construction of the station began, with the slewing of the down line occurring on 13 September of that year to make room for the

, as well as the flyover for the standard gauge line, which was under construction at the same time. On 17 December 1972, the station was damaged by fire. Three days later, on 20 December, 10 wagons on a

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

-bound freight train on the standard gauge line derailed immediately west of the station. The

pedestrian overpass A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

at the station was damaged during the derailment, but was repaired by 24 December. Much of the debris resulting from the derailment was also cleared by that date. In 1975, the current overpass on

Pascoe Vale Road Pascoe Vale Road is a major thoroughfare through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, connecting the outer northern fringe to the inner northern suburbs. Route Pascoe Vale Road starts at the intersection with Somerton Road in Coolaroo, Victoria ...

, to the west of the station, was provided, replacing an earlier overpass. On 14 November 1996, two

Comeng Commonwealth Engineering, often shortened to Com-Eng, later known as Comeng was an Australian engineering company that designed and built railway locomotives, rolling stock and trams. History Smith and Waddington, the predecessor to Common ...

train sets collided between

and Jacana, injuring 13 people. A city-bound train collided with a stationary Broadmeadows-bound train, and two carriages derailed.

Platforms and services

Jacana has one

with two faces. It is served by

trains. Platform 1: * all stations services to Flinders Street Platform 2: * all stations services to Craigieburn

Gallery

File:Jacana railway station, Melbourne.jpg, Northbound view from Platform 2, September 2007 Jacana_Railway_Station_December_2018.jpg, Southbound view of Platform 2, December 2018

References

External links

Melway map
at street-directory.com.au {{Public Transport Victoria railway stations, Craigieburn=y, state=collapsed Railway stations in Australia opened in 1959 Railway stations in the City of Merri-bek